I do not own spiderman or anything related to marvel. This fanfiction is purely for the entertainment of readers and I do not aquire any monetary gain from this fanfiction.

The bus had pulled into its usual spot, and had stopped to allow the students to depart. Filing out of the vehicle, the teenagers went on their usual business. The last pair to exit the bus were Peter and Harry due to their seating at the back.

Standing in the courtyard, Peter felt confident. He viewed the school in a different light. It hadn't changed, but he had.

My life, my reputation. It changes today. No longer shall I be bullied. No longer shall I be insulted. No longer-'

"Pete, you coming?"

Peter's internal monologue was abruptly cut off by his friend.

Harry was dreadfully confused as to why Peter had just stood there with a glazed look in his eyes.

Peter was snapped out of his stupour, and looked dumbly at Harry, who was a few feet ahead of him.

"Uh, yeah man. I'm coming"

Peter reached Harry's position and they both walked towards the school building as they usually did. However, this time they didn't converse with each other. Mainly because Harry was clueless as to why Peter was acting strange.

'Is it just me, or does Peter look bigger?' Harry thought.

As they strode through the campus, which was full of students. A lot of eyes darted in Peter's direction.

Noticing the sudden interest in his appearance, Peter smirked. Both boys and girls alike were staring at him with their jaws on the floor.

Using his enhanced senses, Peter could make out what they were saying.

"Is that Parker? Why's he so big?"

"How did Parker get so huge?"

"I swear he needs glasses"

"Jeez, since when was Parker a stud"

The last comment made him blush, but his pace didn't falter.

'I can't believe it! They think i'm hot!'

Peter struggled to keep the grin off his face. He carried on walking, not giving a single glance to the students.

Harry, who was completely oblivious to all that was happening, continued to plod along. Looking around, he realised that most of the students were staring at Peter. Once again, Harry was baffled.

'Oh well, they're probabaly looking at him because he went to hospital yesterday. I didn't realise it was that shocking to everyone. They look like they've seen Tony Stark shake his man panties'

Harry giggled at the thought of the billionaire waving pink underwear around.

Entering the building, Peter increased his pace and strode with purpose.

Harry noticed that he seemed a lot more confident now. He wasn't slouching about with a bored expression on his face. His shoulders were up, his chest puffed out, and a subtle smile was peeking out his mouth.

As they traversed the hallways, heads were turned. All with the same expression. Shock.

Harry's head was beginning to hurt now from over-thinking.

'What the hell? What's happening? I mean, I just- Argh'

Reaching their lockers, which were coincidentally placed next to each other, the pair did what they did every school morning.

Entering his combination, Peter opened the door to his locker. He grasped the books he'd need for his first lesson. He also removed his jacket, which he placed in the locker alongside his bag. Grabbing the History book, he closed his locker.

Turning around, he made his way to his homeroom with Harry in tow.

On the way, he saw Liz with some of her cheerleader friends. As he neared, they ceased conversation and stared at him. Liz, who was confused at their sudden silence, followed their eyes and noticed Peter for the first time.

Her eyes comically widened as she saw 'puny' Parker. Blinking several times, she thought she was dreaming. She then recoiled in disgust at thought of dreaming about Peter.

'No way that's Parker. He isn't that big, or that good-looking. Oh! Nope, bad Liz. You can't think about Parker like that!'

Liz didn't know how to react to Peter's new appearance. She didn't know what to say or do, and so she didn't say or do anything. She just leaned against the wall and tried to forget what she had just seen.

Opening the door to his homeroom, Peter took his usual spot at the back. He was quite early, the class was nearly empty. The very few students that were already here didn't even look up to acknowledge his presence.

Peter was thankful. He was beginning to get a little shy with all the stares he was recieving. Even if he had a new body, he was still used to being ignored by everyone.

He was a little disappointed though. All those stares directed at him, but none of them were from Flash or Gwen. The former he wanted to beat up; the latter he wanted to impress.

'Oh well. They're both in my homeroom. They'll see me when they come in'

Peter moved his chair and leaned backwards in the seat to show off more of his impressive torso. This didn't go unnoticed as Harry was right next to him.

Deciding that the best way to get answers was to interrogate Peter again, Harry began to speak.

"Hey Pete... You sure you're alright?"

Peter turned to him and gave him a strange look, which quickly shifted into a smile.

"Of course I am. What makes you say that?"

"Well, for one you're strangely confident all of a sudden and you seem bigger"

Peter had already thought of an excuse for his new size. He replied without hesitation.

"Oh well, you see this shirt is just a little tight. So it makes me look bigger"

"And the new confidence?"

Peter struggled to find an excuse for that. He didn't realise that it would be so obvious.

"Err. Well, I just thought that maybe I should be a little more confident. You know, self-esteem and all that" Peter exclaimed.

"Yeah man" Harry responded quietly, unconvinced.

Harry wasn't satisfied with Peter's answers. He was no genius, but he wasn't a complete fool either. He had the growing suspicion that Peter was hiding something. They had been friends for years, but Peter had never acted this strange.

'If something was wrong, then peter would tell me. I'm probably making a big deal out of nothing, everything's fine'

It was at that moment, Gwen and Mary Jane entered the room. Instead of having their usual smiles, they seemed quite uneasy and anxious.

They noticed Peter lounging at the back and quickly made their way over. Sitting in the row ahead of Peter and Harry, they both turned their chairs around to face him.

"Peter! Are you okay?" Mary Jane started in a concerned tone, her face engulfed in worry.

"If I wasn't okay, then I wouldn't be in school" Peter calmly replied, feeling a little cocky.

Mary Jane seemed a little taken back by his response, but nodded, accepting it.

Gwen, however, remained on edge. Despite Peter being in good health right in front of her, she was worried for the cute dork she competed against. She could tell he was different, as much as he may try to hide it.

Gwen would've called Peter, but she didn't have his number. She had spent most of yesterday in a state of anxiety. As a scientist, she knew the venom of a gentically altered spider could be fatal to Peter. Yet here he was, looking better than he ever had before.

Harry's suspicions were once again revitalised. He watched the exchange between Peter and Mary Jane.

'Since when can Peter talk to girls without stuttering a hundred times?'

The two girls bombarded Peter with questions, wanting to know everything. Thankfully, their questions were the same as Harry's on the bus. This meant he already had an answer prepared in his head, and that he didn't have to think of more excuses.

During this time, the girls hadn't even glanced at Harry. He was starting to feel left out and so he interrupted the onslaught of questions.

"Okay, okay ladies. Lets not kill Pete with questions now"

"You're right, Harry. Peter's fine" Mary Jane said.

Now that they had ceased their questions, it was Peter's turn.

'This is my chance! I can talk to Gwen without looking pathetic!'

Not wanting to seem like a douche, he sat properly in his chair. Back straight, chair tucked in, and he rested his arms on the table.

"So guys, how was the trip without me" Peter asked.

He made sure to direct his question towards Gwen by looking at her when he asked.

Harry was mind-boggled.

'Didn't Peter already ask me that?' he thought.

To Peter's relief, it was Gwen that replied.

"Well, after you left. It was kindaaaa-"

Gwen trailed off as she only just noticed Peter's physique. Her cheeks blushed heavily as she blatantly stared at his chest. She tried to speak, but could only stammer as his bulging muscles left her speechless. She gulped, was he always this fit?

"Gwen?" Mary Jane's voice forced her attention away from Peter, "You okay?"

"Fine, yeah. I'm fine"

"You sorta stopped talking for some reason"

Gwen couldn't exactly tell them she was ogling Peter. What would they think?

'Thank goodness they didn't question why i've turned red. How would I explain that?'

All three pairs of eyes were trained on her. She was about to respond with a crappy excuse, but was luckily saved.

Not by the bell, but by the influx of cheerleaders entering the room.

Liz had arrived, with the rest of her friends behind her. They were all whispering and giggling to each other, which was odd since they usually talked aloud. They only acted that way when there was a new rumour circulating around the school.

Unlike the rest of the group, Liz was completely silent. She had a blank expression on her face as she led them to their usual seats at the front.

As the rest of the girls sat down, they began sneak glimpses at Peter before giggling and turning away.

This did not go unnoticed as the four friends caught on immediately.

It was strange. One day Peter was his usual pathetic self. The next day he was the target of many girls stares.

Gwen didn't know why, but she felt infuriated seeing the cheerleaders take interest in Peter. An unknown feeling bubbled inside her.

"Those bimbos" Gwen muttered angrily.

Unfortunately for Gwen, her friends heard her.

"Woah Gwen, why so worked up?" Mary Jane asked, confused.

Gwen was about to answer before she realised she didn't have an answer.

'Why am I so angry at them?'

"It's nothing, I just don't like them that's all"

The four friends conversed smoothly after that about idle topics. Peter, however, was not as involved as he should of been. He was eyeing the door, in hope that Flash and his goon patrol would be next to enter. To his dismay, each time a person entered it was just another student.

'Then again, it's not like Flash would come on time to class. Heck, he doesn't he even come to class in the first place!'

Peter lowered his chin onto his arms, which were resting on the table. He wasn't interested in what Harry was currently saying, he was just eager to show Flash his place.

As he sat there in disappointment, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye.

Gwen was trying to sneak subtle peeks at Peter, she wasn't very good at hiding her intentions though as Peter noticed it instantly.

He raised his head slightly and awkwardly smiled at her. He expected her to smile back or make a snappy remark like she always did, but to his suprise she blushed and turned away. She pretended to cough, whilst hiding her face.

Peter didn't know what to make of it. He had come to school with the intention of impressing Gwen. Now that he had, What does he do know?

For as smart as Peter was, girls weren't his strong subject. In fact, he had no experience with then whatsoever.

Not knowing what else to do, he let his head droop onto his arms as he waited for first lesson or Flash to show.

It was the ringing bell that brought him to attention. Looking around the class, there was no sight of Flash or any of his goons. Of course he wouldn't be in class. What type of bully would he be, if he didn't skip homeroom every now and then?

Sighing, he dejectedly joined the rest of the students as they stood up and left the classroom.

As soon as they were out, he walked alongside Harry. He also noticed that Gwen and Mary Jane were accompanying them.

'I guess... We're all friends now? Eh, that's better for me. I can, errm, uh. What should I do to Gwen now? I'm pretty sure she was checking me out back in homeroom'

Peter continued to ponder his problem as he walked to history.

'If only I had a chat with someone like Captain America, and made him reveal all his womanising techniques. I mean, everyone likes Captain America. He probably had girls all over him... In fact, nah. What would he know?'

Somewhere in a hidden Shield compound, a comatose Steve Rogers sneezed in his sleep.

Harry had taken notice of his friend's unusual silence, he decided not to question Peter on it. Everything was always so complicated with Peter.

Entering the class, the four headed to the back. Thankfully, there was no designated seating so students could sit anywhere they wanted.

The seats were quickly filled with people from Peter's homeroom. History wasn't a core subject, so they didn't order the classes by ability. Hence why Flash stepped into the room, followed by several lackeys.

Peter instantly perked up, this was what he was waiting for. He had already planned the situation in his head.

'I can't just go over and beat him up, or else that makes me the bad guy. I have to wait until he bullies me, like every other day. I'll stand up for myself, insult him, and then when he throws the first puch. I'll take him out'

Peter smirked coldly. All he had to do now was wait. He eyed Flash, waiting for the boy to notice him. If he managed to infuriate the boy, then it would increase the chances of him attacking Peter, which is exactly what Peter wanted.

Flash noticed Peter looking at him and narrowed his eyes. He didn't come over though. Even he wasn't idiotic enough to start a fight, when there was a teacher right in front of them.Instead he took his seat next to Liz.

Something must of already angered Flash. He usually gave Peter a shark-like grin, before teasing him. This time he seemed... offended. Perhaps Liz and the cheerleaders told him of Peter's new appearance. He must of felt threatened and so he's probably going to maintain his pride by attempting to beat Peter. up.

It was then Peter was struck by a thought. He had gym next lesson. A class which he shared with Flash. A perfect opportunity.

'If he was going to attack me, he'd do it in the changing rooms. Hmph, I'll be ready for him. Oh hey, I could also do well in gym for the first time. Maybe I could humiliate him by doing more push-ups than him or something'

Peter was dying of anticipation. He wadn't concentrating the entire lesson, due to his eyes being trained on the back of Flash's stupid head.

Harry and Mary Jane decided not to bring it up when they saw that Peter's notebook was still closed. He usually filled several pages with notes. Gwen was too busy writing to notice his lack of work.

Mr. Higgity must of also noticed that he wasn't paying attention as his next question was directed at Peter.

"Mr. Parker", Peter looked up. "Tell me, What did people believe caused cholera and what actually caused it?"

All heads in the room turned to Peter, they expected him to be caught out since he wasn't listening but Peter already knew the answer.

"People believed that miasma caused cholera, however it was actually caused by the dirty water that people used to drink and bathe." Peter said calmly.

Mr. Higgity nodded, before speaking.

"Next time at least look as of you're interested"

Peter didn't reply, instead reverting back to his original position.

Being called out by the teacher had alerted Peter's friends of his current situation.

Harry was about to ask him if he was alright, before realising he had already asked him that several times. Instead, he stayed silent as Gwen caught Peter's attention.

"Peter. Why aren't you listening?" Gwen whispered.

"I already know all this, there's no point listening" Peter responded in equal volume.

"You might know all this, but other people don't"

"That's got nothing to do with me"

Gwen saw that he was right and ceased talking.

'There's something different about Peter, but I guess I can't complain. He looks like-'

Gwen blushed, she couldn't be thinking about Peter like that. She turned back to her work and sighed. Peter was so complicated.

The familiar ring of the bell dictated that class was over. The sound was soon drowned out by the stampede of students, rushing for the door.

Peter sprang up from his chair, almost knocking it over. The enthusiastic action was noticed by all three of his friends, who decided not to comment.

'Gym is next, It's time to show Flash what Peter Parker is really made of!' Peter thought, an excited grin on his face.

Harry had to break out in a jog, to keep up with Peter's march.

Stopping at their lockers, books were deposited and kits were retrieved.

Harry took the chance to question his friend's unusual mood.

'Peter hates gym, doesn't he?' Poor Harry thought, his feeble mind unable to comprehend Peter's behaviour.

"Pete, why the the smiles? I thought you hated gym"

"That was before, man. I've changed now"

Harry sought more enquirys, but Peter had already left so he was forced to follow.

Entering the boy's changing room, the area went silent. News travelled fast in this school. Everybody had most likely been informed of Peter's new attitude and look. Flash had probably already announced his intention to crush 'puny Parker'.

The boys sat in silent anticipation. To them, this was yet another situation where Parker would get floored and then his billionare friend would come and save him. It was nothing new, and so they all carried on with their undressing.

As Peter strode towards a spare place, his eyes scoured for any hint of the brutish bully. He didn't want to be caught by Flash whilst changing, so he sat and waited.

After a few minutes, it was clear that Flash would unsuprisingly be late. Peter, who was getting bored, decided to change into his kit before Flash arrived.

Hurridly undressing, he donned the gym uniform of Midtown High. A blue short-sleeved jersey and white basketball shorts, paired with any trainers/sneakers the student wanted.

Students were beginning to file out into the gym, including Harry who waited for Peter to accompany him. Confusion grew, when Peter remained sitting and staring intently at the door.

'We usually hurry into the gym, to avoid dealing with Flash. Peter knows this, so why is he waiting?'

"Pete?" Harry asked, caution and confusion evident in his tone.

"I'll be with you in a second, Harry. I just need to use the toilet" lied Peter.

He got up and headed for a different door, labelled 'Boys restroom'.

Harry was unconvinced, but headed towards the gym nonetheless. As soon as he was out, Peter turned around and returned to his seat.

He didn't acknowledge the fact that he just lied to his best friend, his mind was elsewhere.

Suddenly, the door was thrown open, creating a resounding BANG! In came Flash, in all his moronic glory.

I'm horrible, yes i'm aware. I have no excuse for not updating. I was simply being lazy. It didn't occur to me how much time and effort writers put in their work to make it good for their readers. I am dreadfully sorry. I'll see you all in a year.

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it, this chapter is your present.

To Highlander348: Gwen was unable to call Peter in hospital because they aren't that close yet. They're friendly to eachother, but not very close. However, Gwen does have the beginnings of a crush on Peter. Also, SpiderGwen will be a lot later in the story. I want Peter to develop into a capable hero, and then he can mentor her when she gets bitten.